


Ashkaari

by SABATHco



Category: Dragon Age (Video Games), Dragon Age: Inquisition
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-05-10
Updated: 2015-05-10
Packaged: 2018-03-29 21:23:32
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,691
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3911176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SABATHco/pseuds/SABATHco
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Bull and Adaar. Comfort, angst, nudity. Contains spoilers of Bull's past/World of Thedas pt 2.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Ashkaari

Ashkaari  
  
 **Characters: Kaaras Adaar, The Iron Bull.  
Inquisition.  
Warning: Nudity, comfort, profanity, spoilers **  
  
   It was the first time The Iron Bull had stayed the night after a session in the Inquisitor’s quarters. Usually, they’d part ways after Adaar was left in a sweating and tired heap. He knew the mage had a thing for him—they wouldn’t be doing this if that weren’t the case—but at the same time, he questioned why he was so compelled to stay here tonight. Why he’d accepted the Inquisitor’s offer.   
   They had a good, casual thing going. Sure, he’d stopped screwing around when he’d approached Kaaras on the idea of them having sex, but that didn’t seem like such an issue to him. Casual sex, no strings, but… no screwing anyone else, either. It didn’t mean things were serious between them.  
   He’d never been in a real relationship before, not a serious one, anyway. All the women and men he’d slept with knew it was a casual thing that wouldn’t go any further. They’d had their crushes, and they’d gotten upset, but he always let them know that this was what the agreement was. Sleep together for a while, as long as it was good, and then move on. No. Strings. Attached.   
   However, Bull was starting to think a little differently when it came to the younger Qunari. He hadn’t had feelings for someone like this, which made him uncertain of how to deal with it. Most of the time, he’d just push it away. It was nothing, right? Just the passion of the moment. Plus, Kaaras enjoyed it. He always did. And Bull liked that. He liked nothing more than pleasing his bed partner. Although Kaaras had this little way of making it better. Maybe it was because he was such a virgin in the sheets. Maybe because he got to teach him things that he hadn’t gotten to teach others. He’d been with virgins, yes, but not this long before.   
   Kaaras was beside him, laying on his stomach. He’d passed out ten minutes or so after they’d stopped. The kid was getting better and much stronger. Lasted longer, too. It was nice getting to teach him about the parts inside him that he never knew could feel so good.  
   He smirked to himself, giving a laugh through his nostrils. He’d usually crash after a few rounds in the bed, but the Inquisitor couldn’t handle that just yet. He was surprised the mage had fallen asleep so easily. This was new for the both of them to share the bed and actually sleep. Usually he’d just leave and let Kaaras rest it off.  
   He’d thought about leaving, but it wasn’t _really_ what he wanted to do. He’d accepted the offer to stay, and he didn’t wish to turn down the Inquisitor and reject him. Kaaras was a sensitive Qunari, not surprising considering his human upbringing. But he was a good man. Still a strong man when it came to the decisions that had to be made. There was plenty of blood on his hands, despite his cool demeanour. Nonetheless, the bastards deserved it. Bandits, cowards, betrayers, apostates and Templars.   
   And he looked so badarse when he did it all. Bull felt himself giving another smile at the thought. He may be a mage, but he sure knew how to move his body on the battlefield. Fluid, but thick, strong movements. For a Qunari, he was quick, but he didn’t have as much muscle and fat to carry around, did he? Not like his own weight.   
   His thoughts were interrupted when he felt the bed move, looking down at the sandy haired Qunari. He groaned a little, his nose crinkling. It was cute when he did that, getting angry. The humour stopped, though, when the other looked much more uncomfortable than just a little tossing and turning.  
   Shit… was he… having a nightmare or something? Bull leant back a little, though putting a hand to the Inquisitor’s shoulder. When he was younger, he always looked after the kids in the Qun, especially if they were being attacked by someone else. Nightmares happened regularly to the younger ones, and this was no different. Well… maybe a little considering they’d had sex tonight and he’d never really had this experience with a sexual partner before. He saw Adaar as no different to any other person just because he wore the name Inquisitor.  
   “Hey, Boss,” he murmured, gently shaking Kaaras’ shoulder. The first thing he thought was the fact that Kaaras wasn’t just a warrior. He was a mage. Mages suffered weird shit when it came to dreams and demon possession. That was worrying, and he gave a grimace.  
   He felt sweat on the other Qunari’s skin. It wasn’t from the sex. That was a few hours ago now. Unless he was just that damn good. A possible thought, but it was stolen when a groan came from the other. A green glow could be seen from under the pillow, and he knew it was that creepy mark on his hand.   
   “Shit,” he muttered. He leant up and pushed the other a tad more roughly. “Hey, Inquisitor, you might wanna wake up now before you, oh, I don’t know, set your bed on fire or something!” he whispered loudly.   
  
   The mage’s body felt like it was on fire from the inside out. He’d moved onto his back, and his hands were clenched, jaw just as tight. When he felt someone else in the room, he instantly went into attack mode and pushed the other body from him, hands at the ready.  
   When he saw it was Bull, he stopped immediately, looking around the room. Shit, it had just been a dream. He lowered his hands, body shaking, covered in sweat. “B-Bull…?” he asked, breathing heavily. The other Qunari was still in the bed.   
  
   “Yeah, it’s me,” he said awkwardly, like Adaar was expecting someone else.   
  
   Kaaras swallowed hard, running a hand down his humid face. “I’m sorry… I…” He looked away, feeling utterly humiliated, not to mention he could have hurt the man he had feelings for! “I didn’t hurt you, did I?”  
  
   This time, Bull chuckled a little, an attempt to ease the tension that was obviously in the room. “Nah, I’m good. You okay, though? That’s some nightmare.”   
  
   Looking down, the anchor on his hand was glowing lightly. He hid it and massaged it with his other hand in his lap.  It had all been a dream. He hadn’t had a nightmare like that in a very long time, though. Since he’d left home, to be specific.   
   The images of blood flashed before his eyes, making him feel sick to the stomach. A body flopped to the ground, lifeless. His father’s. There was chaos everywhere, fire around them as arrows came flying inside.   
   He put a hand to his mouth. “I’m fine…” he lied, turning his back as he sat on the side of the bed, the sheet still covering his naked body.   
  
   Bull didn’t believe it for a second, though. “Yeah, is that why you’re still shaking?” he asked. He probably shouldn’t have been so forward considering their relationship, but it slipped out. He was usually very controlled and relaxed, but there was something about the other Qunari in the room that made him a little defensive and protective.  
  
   Kaaras shot an angry and almost confused look at the other, and Bull put his hands up in defence. He put his hands onto the edge of the bed, squeezing it gently, as if to control the magic that swelled through his body. The anchor on his palm throbbed, and he pushed himself up, despite being fully nude.   
   “I… I think you should go,” he said. He felt embarrassed that this had happened. He had feelings for Bull, ones he knew were very serious. The last thing he wanted was to get angry at the warrior for doing nothing. That and to be honest, he didn’t wish for someone as strong as Bull to see him as weak as this.  
  
   Bull stood up from the bed, as naked as the other in the cool light. “Yeah, if that’s what you want, then sure.”   
  
   He felt vulnerable, and weak. He didn’t like it. It’s why he joined the Valo-Kas in the first place. He needed to be stronger. For his mother. For his father. And to kill the bastards who had attacked their home. But it hurt more than he thought it would when he heard Bull say that he’d leave so easily.   
   Did their relationship really just mean that little? Just the sex and that was it? He couldn’t deal with it anymore! He wanted to confess that he was falling for the other, that maybe this was all a huge mistake. Why did he have to feel this way? And then he was surprised.  
  
   “But… that’s not really what you want, is it?”  
  
   The question made his heart skip a beat as he put his palms to his desk. No, it wasn’t what he really wanted. He wanted nothing more than for Bull to stay, but this was the first time Bull had slept in his quarters. They’d shared a bed multiple times, even desks and other things. But they’d never made this step. And he didn’t know what it meant.  
   Was this what brought on his nightmare? This uncertainty? This new level to a possible relationship to the man he’d fallen in love with? Did he just think that? That he… _loved_ The Iron Bull? He felt his hands tighten even more.   
   How could he be so stupid? Bull wasn’t in this for the long run. They made an agreement. He’d brought it up before, asked what it was between them. They’d both agreed that it was fun. That they had a good thing going on between them. But was that all it really was? This seemed like a huge step forward for them.  
   And he hadn’t even _told_ Bull about the fact that he was looking for a dragon to kill to prove to the other Qunari that he meant more than just a dick in his arse. What would Bull do or say when the time came? Would he reject it because they weren’t meant to be this close? Because this was more serious than just the fling they had started off as?  
  
   “You know, when I was younger, there used to be kids that would wake up from their beds, screaming for the Tamassrans to come in,” Bull said, folding his arms as he looked at the naked back of the Inquisitor. It was masculine and smooth. He really liked his shoulder blades… and then that toned arse of his.  
   “Sometimes they didn’t make it in time. So… what else could I do? I couldn’t stand the screams. It hurt me knowing that someone else was in that kind of uncontrollable pain.”   
  
   Pushing himself up, Kaaras turned, looking at the other.   
  
   “So, I used to try and hush them. Or I’d run and tell the Tama what was happening.” He smiled a little. “They used to call me Ashkaari. It means ‘one who thinks’. It’s why I never became a soldier. You’re not meant to think, you take orders. But I was different. Which was why I was perfect for spying. I knew things, I observed others. I understood them.”  
  
   “Why are you telling me this?” asked the Inquisitor. It wasn’t that he didn’t appreciate it, because he did. Bull trusted him with this information, and he was telling him something incredibly personal about his life. About his childhood. Something that made him look like more of a mother than the tough warrior he was on the battlefield.   
  
   “Because it’s okay to have nightmares. It’s okay to remember bad things that happened in the past. And because I thought it might distract me from your dick for a moment,” he laughed.    
  
   The mage cleared his throat. He was used to Bull seeing him naked, but nonetheless, he felt as vulnerable as ever.   
  
   “C’mon, sit back down. Tell me what’s up.”   
  
   “Not my dick,” the Inquisitor said, a little proud of the opportunity he got to slip that in there, even if it was slightly insulting himself.  
  
   Bull just laughed as he walked back to the bed. He patted it with his hand—or more of a slap—and made Adaar sit back down. “So… I told you something, it’s only fair that you tell me what’s on your mind.”  
  
   “I thought you didn’t like talking about feelings,” Kaaras asked, looking at the turquoise eye. The patch was on the bedside table, the wounded eye scarred and mangled to a close.  
  
   “Heh, yeah, when it’s weird demon shit,” said the warrior. “You’re not me, though. You’re the Inquisitor, and you already have enough shit to do during the day. The last thing you need is an uneasy sleep to make you feel like shit in the morning.”  
  
   It only made him fall weaker to the other. Kaaras wanted to tell him everything, but he didn’t want to seem so desperate, either. He rubbed his palm, the throbbing having eased now.   
   There was no easy way around it, and part of him wanted Bull to know this fact about him, especially when he had exposed something so personal about himself. He may as well just say it. And he did.   
   “My father was killed by bandits when I was twelve,” he confessed, putting his hands to his lap. “It’s the reason I became a mercenary, why I wanted to fight and control my magic more than ever. I’m a lousy healer… I couldn’t save him.”   
   It wasn’t so much that either. The fire hadn’t been because of the bandits. It had been because of him. When they’d attacked, his father had been the first up and about, trying to protect his family. He thought he could handle taking them on, being brave like his father had been. He’d used too much force and the flames had hit the house, turning it into an inferno. There was chaos and blood everywhere as his father killed many of the bandits, but he hadn’t been fast enough. Arrows pelted his body and right through his heart. His hide was thick, but not thick enough. The flames only distracted him.   
   It was his fault his father died that night. He remembered the blood on his hands as he tried to save him, but he just wasn’t good enough as a mage. He’d blamed himself for years. His mother said it was an accident, but it was the moment she wanted him to learn more about his gifts, to control them better, so these accidents didn’t happen.  
  
   Bull didn’t frown, but he didn’t smile. He just looked away. He didn’t understand having parents and caring for them, or parents caring for him either. He’d grown up under the Qun. But it didn’t mean he was ignorant to knowing how humans and some Vashoth grew up. He knew family units were important to others. Having a fatherly figure die in a brutal way like that could change a person.   
   “I’m sorry you had to go through that,” he said, his voice showing genuine sympathy.   
  
   Kaaras put his hands together beneath his chin and looked across the room. “I don’t want anyone feeling sorry for me. I’m the Inquisitor.”  
  
   “Yeah, but you’re also a man,” Bull said. “You make the difficult choices so we don’t have to, but that doesn’t mean you’re immortal. You’re just like everyone else.”   
  
   “That doesn’t bother you? That I’m still… human, so to speak.”  
  
   Bull chuckled once more. “Are you kidding me? I don’t know why this happened to you, but it did, and it shows that the average Joe can become anything they really want. Look at what you’ve accomplished. And we’re gunna kill Corypheus, too. Who else has the balls to do that? Hell, who knows what the Inquisition would have become without you. Why do you think others look up to you? Shit, you’re a Qunari, what most Orlesians would call a savage. Proved them wrong, didn’t you? You’ve pulled nearly everyone together.” Well, besides the Qun considering what happened with their alliance.    
  
   “Yes, but that wouldn’t have happened it if it weren’t for this,” said Kaaras, lifting his left hand up to where the anchor was. Invisible now, but it was still there, and he knew it.   
  
   Bull leant back down and onto his elbow, legs across the bed. “Yeah, okay, so that helped. You think people follow you just because you have that thing on your hand, though?” He shook his head. “They follow you because you’re an inspiration to them, to Thedas.” Most people were creeped out by that thing.  
  
   Kaaras sighed softly, lowering his hand back into his lap. He never asked for this. He never asked to be at the Conclave, to be there at that moment in time. But he was. Was it really some kind of symbol from Andraste? He didn’t know. He’d never been religious before, but he was starting to think someone up there was definitely watching out for him.  
   He was such a… So normal, really. He wasn’t anyone important before this. Why him? What was so great about him? He’d been treated like a savage all of his life. Whenever they’d move around and humans would see his family, they’d whisper horrible things. He was different. It would have been different if he was in the Qun, but that wasn’t the case. He was a freak. And when he’d met Bull, he only made him feel worse about himself, like he’d really never fit in anywhere.   
   He supposed things were different now, though. Hell, they were sharing a bed for the first time. Bull had obviously softened up about that. Besides… he was Tal-Vashoth as well now.   
   
   “Tell me what your father was like.”   
  
   Kaaras’ head turned, looking at the other Qunari. He didn’t know what to say, really. He didn’t remember a lot about his father anymore, which saddened him. He didn’t like remembering it, it made him feel ill. It made his chest ache. Worse, he felt guilty. Not just because he couldn’t save his father, but because he hardly remembered what he was like. Glimpses here and there of his childhood, of the loss, of his parents together and his support when they found out he was a mage, but… He felt like he should remember more. Even the image of his face was weak in his memory.  
   He turned away. He couldn’t do this. He hadn’t spoken of his father in years, and the mention of him made everything come back. The nightmare made everything come back. The visions were so vivid, like he was there watching it happen all over again.   
   He remembered his mother coming in at night, waking him up from these horrible night terrors when he was a boy. He’d cry and scream. How pathetic…   
   “I’m sorry, Bull… I can’t,” he said, pushing himself back up. He lit a candle with his hand as he walked past it, a dim glow filling the room. He found his pants on the floor and picked them up. He didn’t feel like being so exposed right now. But a hand stopped him, Bull being there next to him.   
  
   “Alright, I get it,” said the older Qunari. “Come on, then, we don’t have to talk about it.” Obviously this was a very sensitive subject, and he had a feeling that if Kaaras was going to talk about it, he wouldn’t be able to hold his emotions in any longer. He could tell his breathing had already hitched, and he was twitching. If he looked close enough, he was certain there would be a glaze over those ruby eyes of his. Kaaras was still a Qunari, though. He may have been brought up as a human, but he still had a thick skin, and it wasn’t easy opening those. He could understand that.  
   “I mean, I do have a stick here if you want me to hit you with it,” he winked. He gave Kaaras a light slap on the backside and got a laugh out of him.  
  
   “Arse…” the Inquisitor muttered.  
  
   Bull grinned. “You could do with some relaxing. C’mon.” He took the mage’s hand and led him to the bed, sitting there with him. “I know your arse ain’t up for another round, but I wouldn’t do that to you anyway.” He wouldn’t take advantage of Adaar’s situation right now—or ever. He just wanted to make him feel good and get over the nightmare he’d had. The Inquisitor would open up in his own time, and when that time came, he’d be willing to listen.  
   He didn’t quite know how serious they were, but the more he slept with the younger Qunari, the more involved he felt with him. He enjoyed making him feel good about himself, and often found himself thinking of him on odd occasions. Sometimes he’d see staves and weapons at merchant stands and want to buy them, or even scarves and little things he picked up on the other liking.   
  
   Laying on the bed, the Inquisitor rested on an elbow. “Then what are you going to do to me?” he asked, this time a little slyness in his voice. He felt better that the topic was off his father, and he was more than ready to concentrate on The Iron Bull.   
  
   “I’m gunna tell you some stories while I get the tension outta you.” He put his hand between Kaaras’ thighs and gripped the fleshy skin between them.   
  
   A gasp came from the mage, his eyes on the other. “S-stories?” he asked, swallowing hard as the pressure soon grew. He moaned lightly as Bull’s hand massaged his now growing erection.   
  
   “Mmhm, and you’re gunna enjoy every bit of them,” Bull grinned. “Just let ol’ Ashkaari take care for you.”  Because he knew _exactly_ how to ease the other so he’d have a much more peaceful sleep when the time came.


End file.
